


Origins of a Mage

by Zerabeth



Series: To Love a Blood Mage [12]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: AUish, Angst, Castle Cousland, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Future Relationship(s) - Freeform, Gen, Highever, Humor, Long Story will be Long, Past Relationship(s), Relationship(s), Slow Burn, Tags will be added, Tragedy, Violence, Why are all the Origins so painful, but not really, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:30:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5276717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zerabeth/pseuds/Zerabeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your whisked away from the Circle after being recruited by the Warden Commander Duncan because you were caught aiding a Blood Mage, you encounter new people and new situations you never dreamed of happening. Your not sure of anything anymore, but what you are certain of is that there is a lot ahead, and you're sure Jowan is out there. Reader-Insert</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Venture

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is 'Venture' if you have already read it, proceed to the next chapter. If you have not read the original oneshots that inspired this, feel free to do so, as many characters are from the oneshots and the oneshots will provide valuable insight into Reader's/Your past.

 To say you awoke with a migraine, would be the understatement of the age. As you woke up, a groan immediately left you, and you turned over on your bed.

 Then you paused, because there wasn’t enough room on your bunk for you to turn over. Your eyes opened and you quickly realised you were in your mentor’s room. At this revelation, you let out a blissful sigh and sunk into her silk sheets, noting that you should visit your secret room soon and letting your eyes close once  more.

 How Edlyn always managed to blackmail half the circle into getting her the very best was beyond you, you supposed it was because she was always sneaking about for secrets when she was younger, or at least that’s what she had told you.

 You turned over after a few minutes and stared at the ceiling, looking over the doorway as you heard two familiar voices in a discussion.

 “Well maybe,  someone  should have told me she was taking her Harrowing last night! Then we could have avoided this  discussion .” Edlyn was practically yelling as her heels clicked on the stone tiles of the tower, approaching at a steady pace.

 “Edlyn, a ‘discussion’ with you is almost always a lot of yelling. Besides, there are  some  rules I don’t break,” Gregoir easily responded, in a much calmer tone. You heard Edlyn snort.

 “At least you didn’t take any of  those  vows then we-” 

 “Hey! I’m awake, so please stop right there,” You shouted, falling out of the bed in your attempt to get up as quickly as possible.

 “Little dear! Thank goodness! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone sleep so long after going through their Harrowing, Amell and Surana have already woken and they went the nights after you!” Edlyn was immediately by your side, a frown on her features.

 “How long was I asleep?” You wondered, confusion flooding you. You felt like you had slept for a very short time, hence why you were still so tired.

 “Three days, I was worried about you eating and such, but it seemed as if you weren’t being affected at all by the lack of it.” Edlyn’s explanation did little to help you understand the situation, but three days? How could you have slept for three days and feel perfectly content? Surely you would be hungry or have to relieve yourself. 

 “Did you force-feed me?” 

 “No, you refused to eat or drink, not that I mind too much, I would hate to have to replace my sheets, I get this silk from Orlais.” You rolled your eyes and snorted, Edlyn never changed.

 “Honestly, mamae..” You ran a hand through your hair and you looked to Edlyn in question.

 “Yes, I brushed your hair, but in my defence, I will not have you cut it, and it was soothing,” Edlyn defended, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. You sighed, but thanked her nonetheless, you did not want to deal with knots that had accumulated over three days of rolling in bed.

 “It’s good you are well, there is someone who I would like you to meet,” Gregoir interjected, stealing your attention from Edlyn. You smiled, nodding.

 “Of course, Papae, but first! How long did my Harrowing take?” You were very anxious to know, as you always wanted to beat Edlyn's time. Edlyn laughed at your enthusiasm and motioned Gregoir to tell you.

 "Come on, it's not like the entirety of the circle doesn't already know." Edlyn prompted, smiling at Gregoir.

 "You we're faster than Amell, without doubt, but Surana's Harrowing was the fastest we've ever seen." Gregoir relented with a sigh, crossing his arms. You cooed.

 "My precious elf child set a record?" You squealed. Both your parent figures had small coughing fits, while your mentor laughed afterwards, Gregoir did not. 

 "'Precious elf child', really?" Edlyn wiped away a tear.

 "Well, she's precious, an elf, and younger than me, plus she's one of my favorite people in this place, so yes, really." You stood up and stretched out your arms. "So, who is it you want me to meet, Papae?" You turned to the Knight-Commander.

 "Duncan, he's a Grey Warden who's here looking for mages to join the King’s army." You froze, blinking rapidly. 

 "A Grey Warden?" Your mouth hung open in awe, you had read several books detailing the Grey Warden order, and their part in stopping the Blights. "This is because of the warring in the South?" You looked between the two adults for confirmation.

 

 

 

 "Yes, unfortunately, the Warden’s believe this to be a Blight, and I am inclined to believe them, regardless of what the King claims," Edlyn frowned, staring at the ground for several moments.

 You hummed thoughtfully, tapping your lip.

 "Can I take a bath first? I have been moved from the Apprentice Quarters, yes?" Gregoir nodded in response, you smiled and Gregoir led you to your room, leaving Edlyn to work on something. Your stuff had already been moved and you made sure to grab some of your mentors oils and soaps before you left her to room.

 Gregoir left, telling you that the Warden was in the Library and that he would be in a meeting with Irving for a short while. You waved him away and took a quick bath, rinsing off and pulling on some comfortable clothes.

 You then made your way to the library, humming and quietly singing under your breath as you maneuvered through the halls. You spotted Jowan making his way somewhere with Amell and scowled, briefly wondering where Surana might be.

 Your question was answered as you entered the library, finding Surana eagerly asking a man questions. You laughed briefly and made the assumption that the man was Duncan, the Grey Warden.

 “Dandelion! Congratulations on your Harrowing! I heard you had record time, that’s amazing!” You immediately wrapped the blonde elf in a hug. You heard Suarana squeak your name and laughed.

 “Y-you're awake! I was very worried, but Edy kept everyone away from you.” Surana turned to look at you as you released her from a hug. You nodded and pat her head, smiling fondly.

 “I’m just fine, dandelion. You don’t have to worry about me, now.. Who’s your friend?” You glanced at Duncan who had an amused look in his eyes. Surana sputtered momentarily, having briefly forgot Duncan existed.

 “Ah, this is Duncan, he’s a Grey Warden! I’m so sorry, Ser Duncan, I didn’t me-” Duncan held up a hand, cutting Surana off with a warm smile.

 “Think nothing of it, you were worried for your friends well-being. I take it you are the mage Gregoir spoke of?” Duncan turned to you, the smile he wore making him look several years younger.   
  
 You nodded and properly greeted the Grey Warden.

 “It is an honor, Ser Duncan. I’ve heard a lot about the Wardens, mostly from books, but that is what history is for, no? I see dandelion here has already jumped at the chance to interrogate you.” You poked Surana’s side, grinning at her pouty face.

 “I wasn’t interrogating him..”

 “Sure you weren’t, dandelion. Anyhow! I wish I could stay and chat, but I believe many of my friends are wondering about my well-being and I would see their worries eased. Please excuse me.” You bowed momentarily and left the library after Duncan said farewell.

 “I’ve never heard her speak so formal before..” Surana mumbled as you left, you snorted.

 You found Jowan talking with Amell in the Chantry, or as close to one as a quarter of a floor of a tower could be. You sighed, tapping the side of your head. Thinking too much again.

 “So you won’t help us?” You raised an eyebrow at the female voice, unable to recognize it. 

 “Why would I? I could only get into trouble.” You recognized that voice as Amell, but who was she talking to?

 “You could destroy yours too! Then you can leave, they won’t hold a leash on you anymore,” Jowan was pleading To Amell, why? Destroy what? You had a lot of questions, and no answers.

  “Maybe she likes having a leash on her, you never know.” You decided now was a time to join the conversation, rounding the corner of the chantry.

 “Li-” Jowan cut himself off, and instead used your name. “You're awake?” Jowan looked spooked, and judging from the hand over his heart, you guessed it was because sneaked up on them. 

 “No Jowan, I obviously died, and now I’m a spirit to haunt you.” You snorted, crossing your arms, your gaze moving to the female in chantry robes standing next to Jowan. “Hey.. you guys know there’s a sister, right there , yes?” You raised an eyebrow at the sister, more questions. 

 “Oh! This is Lily, the one I told you about,” Jowan explained, grinning at you. You narrowed your eyes.

 “That’s not- Jowan, she’s a sister. That’s so- so very  wrong .” You suddenly had an intense urge to set the sister on fire, or maybe freeze her and shatter her into a thousand pieces. You leaned towards the latter.

 “And your ‘Mamae’ and ‘Papae’ isn’t?” Amell snorted, before grimacing in your direction.

 “Just like you and your Cullen, no? I think I saw him with Surana earlier actually, might want to do something about that, this is the Circle of Ferelden after all, yes?” You smirked in silent triumph as Amell visibly stiffened, her eyes narrowing at you.

 “Shut up, you lit-”

 “We don’t want a repeat of two months ago, do we, m’dear?” You hummed, grinning as Amell instantly took a step back. She scowled at you before turning on her heel and stomping off. Jowan and  Lily , stared after her with frowns. “Don’t look so down, Jow, what did you need her help with anyway?” You rocked back and forth on the balls of your feet as you peered up at the brunette in question, refusing to look at the red-head beside him. Why is it you hate the only redheads you know? 

 “Um, I- I found out th-” You held up a hand to cut Jowan off.

 “That you're going to be made tranquil, I know, you planning on doing something about it?” Jowan froze and stared at you with wide eyes.

 “You  know ?  Since when ?” You sighed and ran a hand through your hair.

 “Since my solitary started, so- two months ago.” You idly looked at your fingers, avoiding Jowan’s eyes.

 “ You \- why didn’t you tell me?!” Jowan almost shouted but Lily’s hand on his shoulder prevented it, you noted it with a frown.

 “Would it have made a difference, you know now, why does it matter?” You did not like this conversation at all. 

 “It  matters  because-” 

 “Jowan, perhaps we should just ask her to help us, rather than shout at her. What’s past is past.” Lily soothed the brunette beside her. You frowned once more, briefly recognizing the familiar pain in your chest.

 Jowan explained what he was planning on doing, with you stopping him every few moments to ask a question. At the end of the explanation, you briefly debated what to do, but ultimately, you decided the answer was obvious.

 “Of course I’ll help you, rod of fire, yes? Give me five minutes.” You turned on your heel without waiting for a response and made your way to Owain, momentarily wondering why you always got lost in the tower as a child.

 After talking with Owain, you got a requisition form and sighed as you noticed it had to be signed by a Senior Enchanter. You wondered who to bring it to, though the answer was obvious.

 “Mamae, can you sign this for me?” You strode into Edlyn’s room, holding out the form as your mentor rubbed her eyes with a sigh.

 “Little dear, what do you need a rod of fire for?” Edlyn asked, accepting the form and looking it over.

 “Research,” You answered with a shrug.

 “What sort of research?”

 “I’m going to see how many Templar’s breaches I can set on fire,” You responded after a moment of thought, not even shocked when Edlyn just grinned and signed the form.

 “Try to beat my record, would you? Then we can have competitions.” Edlyn handed you back the form and you accepted it with a smile, feeling slightly guilty.

 “Of course, mamae, thank you.” You left as quickly as you had entered, heading to the store room to retrieve the rod of fire then back to Jowan. 

 “That was- very quick.” Lily noted, looking a bit disturbed. You laughed.

 “You went to Edy, didn’t you,” Jowan deadpanned, giving you a look. You nodded.

 “Of course, why would I go to anyone else?”  You smiled as you turned to the older mage. 

 “I- nevermind, let’s just go.” Jowan led the way to the basement, and you grumbled as you cast a spell on the door and Lily spoke, getting past with relative ease.

 The second door however, was a problem.

 As soon as you stepped through the first door, the feeling of the door threw you off. You grimaced as you felt the nullifying aura of the door, staying by the first door.

 "Here we go, use the- what are you doing?" Lily looked to you in confusion, Jowan following her gaze.

 "I- it won't work," You stuttered, the door making you extremely uncomfortable.

 "What won't work?" Jowan asked, walking over to you.

 "The- the rod. It won't work on that door." You nodded your head towards the wood. The nullifying wards prodded at your aura. You sucked in a breath and attempted to control your aura.

 "How would you know that?" Lily sounded calm, but her eyes narrowed at you.

 "Can't you feel it?" You wrapped your arms around you, "The wards on the door nullify magic, it's- it is invasive." You pressed yourself to the wall, eyes never leaving the door.

 "Invasive?" Jowan gave you a confused look, placing his hand on your shoulder. "Little star, if it's bothering you that much-" You shook your head.

 "I told you I would, I will keep my word." You forced a smile and slowly approached the door, but kept to the walls. You noticed a second door and immediately began towards it.

 "Where are you going?" Jowan watched you practically dart down the hall, looking worried.

 "There's another door!" You shouted in response, ignoring Lily's comment as you approached the door, focused on getting as far away from the other door as possible.

 “It probably just leads to another repository, what are the chances of there being another entrance?” Jowan comments, frowning but following after you nonetheless. “Besides, it looks locked.” You just laughed before pulling out the rod of fire and melting the lock, the door swinging open.

 Of course, it couldn’t be that easy.

 The Sentinels activated and immediately began attacking the three of you, you made sure it focused on you, as you were probably the only one with a barrier at the moment.

 You disposed of the Sentinels and went through the door, knowing better than to try and take anything as you made your way through the long hallway.

 “We need another way into the-” You waved your hand, making a loud sound to cut Lily off.

 “Yes, we need another way into the phylactery chamber, that’s common sense, so go look around, I’ll look over here and you- you go look over there. Somewhere.” You motioned the redhead away and immediately approached a statue that was setting off your aura.

 “There’s something weird about this statue, I wonder who you are?” You thought aloud, observing the stone woman.

 “Greetings.” You blinked, looking around in confusion before realized it was the statue that had spoken.

 “Hello, ser Statue.” You greeted, momentarily wondering if there was a spirit trapped in the statue.

 “I am the essence and spirit of Eleni Zinovia, once consert and advisor to Archon Valerius. Prophecy my crime, cursed to stone for foretelling the fall of my lord’s house.” The statue, Eleni explained. You gasped in awe.

 “Archon were the lords of the Imperium.” You squealed in excitement, who knew the tower had such an interesting spirit so close by.

 “‘Forever shall you stand on the threshold of my fortress,’ he said, ‘and tell your lies to all who pass.’ But my lord found death at the hands of his enemies and his once-proud fortress crumbled to dust, as I foretold.” You awed, cooing quietly.

 “It’s a Tevinter statue! Don’t listen to it! The Tevinter lords dabbled in many forbidden arts, this is a wicked thing!” Lily shouted, running over to you. Your eyes narrowed.

 “First,  she is  not  a  thing . Second, just because the Tevinter lords might have dabbled in magics  banned by the chantry , does  not mean  everything created by them is inherently evil.” You scowled at the sister.

 You glared at the sister and she went off toward Jowan, you turned back to the statue.

 “Are you in alright? You must be very old, and the fact they left you down here to gather dust..”

 “Weep not for me, child. Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And I shall endure ‘til the Maker returns to light their fire together.” You frowned at Eleni’s response. 

 “Is there any way I could help you?” 

 “No help can be given me, for this is my doom and my destiny.”

 “Ambiguous rubbish, it could mean anything. I can do it too: the sun grows dark, but lo! Here comes the dawn!” You snorted as Jowan approached.

 “Stop talking to it! Please, both of you!” Lily cried, fear on her face. You scowled once more. 

 “We have other things to be doing anyhow, we can’t help i- her.” Jowan placated, resting his hand on your shoulder, you grumbled but relented.

 “Let’s go Jowan, come on.” Lily dragged Jowan away from you. You said farewell to Eleni and wandered around the room.

 You came across a bookcase that appeared to be in front of a weak portion of the wall. You called Jowan over, and the two of you moved the bookcase. 

 “Okay, now what?” Jowan turned to you, you rose an eyebrow and gestured to the mabari statue.

 “We use this focusing item with the fire rod and the wall should give out,” You explained, pulling out the fire rod once more.

 Activating the rod, a blast shot from the mabari statue and the wall collapsed, rubble flew through the air and you covered your face to prevent debris from getting in your eyes or mouth. 

 “The phylactery chamber!” Jowan exclaimed, heading through the hole in the wall. Lily followed after him, you made sure that you didn’t damage anything you didn’t want to and followed as well.

 “We must find Jowan’s phylactery quickly!” Lily urged, you resisted the urge to yell at her. For saying something so obvious.

 “It shouldn’t be hard to find, there aren’t many phylacteries in here.” Jowan pointed out. As you approached the stairs leading up to the shelves however, you were attacked by Sentinels once more. They were quickly dispatched, but Lily decided she wanted to be a rogue and cut a rather large gash on her arm as a result.

 Jowan was immediately by her side and you silently wished it wouldn’t be so wrong to kill the redhead. Jowan cast a weak healing spell on her arm, you huffed and waited for Jowan to get up.

 You went up the stairs two at a time, approaching all the vials of blood, each one an apprentice’s phylactery.  You ran your fingers along the shelves, little tags naming who the blood belonged to.

 You found Jowan’s in the corner of a little cabinet at back wall.  You grabbed it and handed it over to Jowan.

 “My Phylactery! You found it! I can’t believe this tiny vial stands between me and freedom..” Jowan held the vial of his blood out in front of him. “So fragile, so easy to just be rid of it’s hold over me..” The vial slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor, you could feel the magic fading as the blood pooled on the carpet below. “..I am free.” Jowan turned around to you and Lily, a small smile on his face.

 “Now, to get out before anyone finds out. You need to leave, if you get caught-”

 “What about you?” Jowan frowned, you just shook your head and smiled. 

 “No need to worry about me, you just need to go. Now.. both of you.” You bite your lip as you glanced at Lily, shaking your head. 

 “I don’t want to stay down here a moment longer.” With that, the three of you left the basement.

 “We did it! I can’t believe we did it! Thank you with-” 

 “So what you said was true, Amell.” You froze, turning as Gregoir, Irving, and Amell approached

 “I know this looks bad, Knight-Command-” You were quick to defend yourself, a look of regret quickly spreading across your features.

 “Don’t. An initiate, conspiring with a blood mage, and you assisted.. I am disappointed.” Gregoir pointedly said your name, his expression pained. He walked closer as he spoke, but quickly turned away.  “They seem shocked, but completely in control of their own minds. Not thralls of the blood mage then. You were right Amell, this will not go unpunished.” Gregoir turned to you, speaking your name once more. “Newly a mage, and already flouting the rules of the circle.” You looked down, ashamed. Amell grinned, crossing her arms with a haughty look.

 “It’s not her fault! It was my idea,” Jowan defended, stepping forward.

 “It always is, isn’t it Jowan?” Gregoir scowled at the brunnette. Your hands clenched into fists.

 “I was helping my friend, I see no error to that,” You stated, in the strongest voice you could muster. Gregoir spared you a glance.

 “That’s enough, as Knight-Commander of the templars here assembled, I sentence this blood mage to death.” Gregoir pointed directly at Jowan, your eyes widened in shock.

 “No!” 

 “And this initiative has scorned the Chantry and her vows. Take her to Aeonar.” Gregoir ignored you.

 “ That’s fine. But  not Jowan,” You mumbled under your breath. Two Templar approached Lily, who cried out her objections. Jowan looked torn.

 “No! I won’t let you touch her!” Jowan shouted as he pulled out a dagger, stabbing his palm.

 “Goddamnit!” You immediately threw a barrier over Gregoir as Jowan attacked all of them, of course you inwardly cheered as he got Amell as well.

“By the Maker.. blood magic! H-how could you! You said you never..” Lily backed away from Jowan, looked spooked, you scowled. Of course you didn’t necessarily agree with how Jowan just used the magic, but it was still just magic. 

 “I admit, I.. I dabbled! I thought it would make me a better mage!” Jowan looked hurt as he defended himself to Lily.

 “Blood magic is evil, Jowan. It corrupts people.. changes them..” You growled.

 “Just because the chantry claims it evil,  does not make it so ! Blood magic is just as much a tool as a sword! The  chantry corrupts, yet you do not call it evil.  Power corrupts, but how it is used is based on the one whom wields it, just as magic is, just as a sword is!” You shouted, snarling at the redhead, both her and Jowan looking at you in shock.

 “I-I trusted you.. I was ready to sacrifice everything for you.. but I don’t even know who you are.. Stay away from me, blood mage.” Lily pointed away, and Jowan ran, tears in his eyes. 

 “Jowan!” You cried, moving to run after him when groaning from Gregoir stopped you. You dropped to your knees and covered your face with your hands, silently sobbing. You turned as Gregoir stirred, looking dazed for several moments before his gaze fell on you. “Papae.. I never meant for this to happen.” Your voice broke, as you avoided Gregoir’s eyes.

 “You still helped him.” Gregoir looked at you with disappointment and betrayal in his eyes.

 “I helped my friend, because you were going to subject him to a fate worse than death. Blood mage or no, he is my best friend, and I would never refuse him.” You felt your voice harden through your small speech, and looked back down at our hands. “Blood mage, or no,” You repeated, voice barely above a whisper.

 “I- I never thought he could overcome so many.” Gregoir confessed, looking around him. 

 “ None of us expected this . Are you alright, Gregoir?” You turned to Irving as he was helped off his feet by Amell, who was glaring at you. You glared right back.

 “As good as can be expected given the circumstances! If you had let me act sooner, this never would’ve happened!” Gregoir yelled, getting off the floor.

 “Act sooner?!” Gregoir ignored your outburst once more.

 “Now we have a blood mage on the loose and no way to track him down!”

 “Good! You would kill him if you found him!” You threw the closest thing you could find at your father-figure, which happened to be a shield. Gregoir looked baffled for a moment before turning to you.

 “Where’s the girl?”

 “I.. I am here, ser.” Lily called, stepping slightly out of the corner she stood in, looking at the floor.

 “You helped a blood mage, look at all he’s hurt!” Gregoir gestured around the room.

 “You forced his hand! He was protecting Lily!” You shouted, desperately trying to draw Gregoir’s attention. 

 “Knight-Commander, I.. I was wrong, I was an accomplice to a.. a blood mage.. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit, even- even Aeonar.” Lily approached Gregoir, keeping her head down.

 “Get her out of my sight.” Gregoir gestured to the Templars who were able to escort Lily away without any trouble this time. “And you.” You froze as Gregoir turned to you with a voice like ice. “You were in a repository full of magics that are locked away for a reason. Did you take anything?” You shook your head, a hard look in your eyes as you met Gregoir’s gaze, ignoring Amell’s smug look. “Either way, your antics have made a mockery of this circle! Ah.. what are we to do with you?”   

 “Do whatever you want.” You were resigned to your fate, you helped you friend and you stood by your decision.

 “Knight-Commander.. if I may.” You all turned in slight shock as Duncan approached. “I am not here just to recruit mages into the King’s army, I am also here recruiting for the Grey Wardens.” You sucked in a breath. “You spoke highly of this mage, and I would like for her to join the Warden’s ranks, alongside Surana.”

 “What?!” Amell shouted, looking scandalized and angry.

 “We look for dedication in our recruits. Fighting the darkspawn requires such dedication, often at the expense of all else.” Duncan explained in a calm tone.

 “I object!” Amell was ignored.

 “I would be honored, Ser Duncan,” You spoke in awe, unable to hide your obvious suprise.

 “You have an opportunity few even dream of, do not squander it.” Gregoir placed a hand on your shoulder, his tone sounded proud of you, but his eyes held the same disappointment and betrayal as before.

 “Thank you for everything, Papae,” You spoke quietly so only Gregoir heard, he smiled warmly for a moment, though it was strained, and disappeared a moment later.

 “Come, your new life awaits.” You followed Duncan and after grabbing all your things, a tearful goodbye with your mentor, a curse in Amell’s direction, and a very short(and chaperoned) goodbye with Anders, you were on the road with Duncan.

 You walked beside Surana, very glad that she would be joining you. 

 “Where are we heading, Ser Duncan?” Surana asked, turning to the aged warrior.

 “To Highever.”

 


	2. Highever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On to Highever, and new recruits.

 Cousland Castle. 

 

 You had read about it of course, more than once. It was the home of the Cousland family after all, one of the only two Terynir’s in Ferelden. You recalled all you had read about them, the fact they were almost chosen for the throne, but since they supported the Therin bloodline, they remained Teynirs; immediately came to mind.

 

 The Cousland’s were a highly respected and honorable noble family, and Cousland Castle reflected that. 

 

 As you traveled through the surrounding city, your gaze was continuously drawn to the ever approaching fortress. You called it a fortress because anything else did not do the looming structure justice. 

 

 You stuck close to Surana, latching onto her arm as she latched onto yours.

 

 Amell prefered to follow it would seem, following several feet behind Duncan with crossed arms and a grumpy expression. You would’ve laughed if you weren’t so nervous.

 

 You hadn’t been outside the Circle in years, and you distinctly remembered the racism towards elves, and that both you and Surana held small statures with scared expressions didn’t help. You never wanted to hide your ears in the Circle, but now you wondered if you should. 

 

 You remained with Surana simply because you wanted to protect her, she was one of your closest friends after all. Besides Jowan, who had.. disappeared. Of course, if  you were a blood mage on the run from Templars, you would want to disappear to. 

 

 “Everything’s so weird,” Surana observed, looking around the streets. You perked an eyebrow, tilting your head to the side the slightest bit.

 

 “What do you mean?” You tried to follow the younger elf’s eyes but you were unable to figure out just what she was looking at with her fleeting gaze.

 

 “There’s so few of them, the tower was always so crowded, never a moment alone. But here, it’s almost like you have to make an effort to find anybody.” Surana looked up at you with a pout, and you kept yourself from correcting her, after all, you were one of the few who could almost always be alone in the Circle. Privacy was a rarity inside the Circle, for  everybody but you.

 

 “Dandelion, there’s a war, I can’t imagine there’s as many people here as there normally is. So, it’s not exactly their fault, you’ve seen how empty the tower’s been, no?” You reasoned, laughing as Surana blinked for a moment.

 

 “That.. would make sense.” Surana made a show of looking over everything once more, a thoughtful look on her face.

 

 Duncan called out your and Surana’s names, you both turned to him, barely glancing at Amell who stood in his shadow with a scowl. Duncan gestured to the gate beside him and you and Surana shared a look before quickly joining the Warden through the gate.

 

 It was bigger up close. You didn’t think it was really possible for Castle Cousland to get bigger , but it did, and it was; big you meant. Not in the dirty way either, though Anders would jump on that joke in moments. You laughed to yourself, receiving a small smile from Surana as she had a similar thought.

 

 “That’s what she said.” Or maybe you had just thought out loud, you laughed and mock-gasped at Surana, pulling her into a hug.

 

 “No! I need to protect your innocence Dandelion. I will not have you understanding my dirty jokes!” You laughed again as Surana poked your side, trying to get you to let go.

 

 “You forget, I was friends with Anders longer than you, and it’s quite impossible to retain any sort of innocence around that man.” Surana was grinning as you finally let her go and Amell snorted up ahead, brushing her hair over her shoulder. 

 

 You casually snatched a rock off the ground and threw it at Amell, hitting the back of her head. Surana made an ‘o’ with her mouth and silently clapped, nodding her head. You grinned, ducking behind the younger elf to hide from Amell’s glare. Though you didn’t miss the amused look that briefly crossed Duncan’s features. 

 

 "Greetings, Warden. We we're not aware you were arriving, we will send a message to the Teyrn at once." A guard motioned to another, and left to inform the Teyrn. You looked around in awe, Surana acting similarly.

 

 As a former Dalish, Surana wasn't very familiar with Castles or structures outside of the tower, and the village you came from was small and nowhere near as grand as Highever. So, it was all very new and.. amazing, for lack of better word. 

 

 The walls towered overhead, and you could hear the clang of metal from guards and soldiers practicing nearby, servants scurried by, carrying all sorts of things.

 

 Amell remained in Duncan's shadow, arms crossed and angry with the world. You briefly wondered why Duncan recruited her in the first place, but quickly remembered that she was Irving's favorite, and his pupil. Irving had probably told Duncan all about the red head. 

 

 Talk about favoritism. 

 

 Though you weren't exactly one to talk.

 

 You ran into a hard surface and froze up, the sound of Surana's light laughter filling your ears. 

 

 You placed your hand in front of you, pushing off the surface you had run into. Quickly recognizing the cool metal as armor plate, you looked up in alarm.

 

 "Well, I suppose that's one way for a pretty girl to get my attention." A distinctly male voice laughed, you felt the vibrations of it from their chest.

 

 You retracted your hand, practically leaping backwards and bowing awkwardly. 

 

 "I am so, so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, my deepest apologies," you rushed, your face flushing in embarrassment. 

 

 "It's no problem at all, my lady. If I were you, I would get distracted by my face too." You shook your hands.

 

 "I would appreciate it if you do not fluster Duncan's recruits, pup." Another male voice spoke, though his tone was amused. You finally looked around, eyes widening as you took in your surroundings.

 

 "Bryce-" an older dark haired male began talking to the once who had previously poke, and you immediately recognized the name as Teryn Cousland's. Which meant 'pup' was probably his child, who was most like not his eldest, and since his daughter was his middle child- oh no.

 

 "I wasn't.." you looked at your hand in mortification. You were so lost in your thoughts, you had run into the youngest Cousland, while apparently staring right at him, who proceeded to flirt with you. You groaned. 

 

 “Fresh out of the Circle and you're already making such great impressions,” Surana piped up from behind you, you glared. She laughed.

 

 You really missed your secret room in the Circle right now, you would very much like to go into it and hide from everything.

 

 “Can you go tell your brother, and round up your sister? Maker knows what she’s gotten herself into now.” Teyrn Cousland finally broke you from your thoughts, and you became aware of distant cackling, followed by screaming. You were suddenly very apprehensive about your decision enter Highever Castle.

 

 “I’ll go do that, please excuse me, Ser Duncan, Arl Howe. Warden Recruits.” The youngest Cousland winked at you before leaving, you wanted to ram your head against a wall.

 

“Duncan, I apologize for the rush, but we were planning on joining the army at Ostagar-” You ignored the conversation, as Surana pulled you to the side.

 

 “Teyrn Cousland said we could explore the Castle if we wanted, and Duncan said we could as well, so they could speak.” Surana informed, smiling at you.

 

 “When was this said?” You allowed Surana to pull you through a door since nobody moved to stop you. Amell was already gone, off to bed someone no doubt. The Circle of Ferelden was a very..  friendly  place, for lack of better word, but Amell was by far the  friendliest. 

 

 In other words, you wouldn’t be too surprised if the aforementioned bedding actually occurred.

 

 “When your attention was.. elsewhere.” You glared at Surana, who just grinned brilliantly in response. 

 

 “I was thinking,” You all but shouted in response, crossing your arms and huffing.

 

 “About..?”

 

 “Castle Cousland. It’s really big.” You gestured around the two of you, at the stone walls and blue banners. Surana snorted, lightly shoving you.

 

 “Whatever you say, da’assan.” You frowned at the green-eyed elf.

 

 “I’m older than you,” You reminded.

 

 “That may be true, but I am more knowledgeable in  certain areas, yes?” Surana wiggled her eyebrows, you scowled. 

 

 “That’s disgusting, and I could probably teach you a few things!” You grumbled and stomped away.

 

 “You mean how to be a prude?” Surana shouted after you, you cursed, Surana’s laughter following you down the hall.

 

 You stalked down the hall, muttering and cursing at Surana under your breath. You weren't paying attention to your surroundings, and subsequently found yourself hitting a wall-like structure once more.

 

 "If this is the daily with Warden recruits, I don't think I'll have to reconsider Duncan's offer." You groaned and looked up to see the youngest Cousland peering down at you once more, with his arms around your waist. "I don't think we've been properly introduced, beautiful. I'm Aeden." 

 

 You groaned and relinquished your name, Aeden grinned.

 

 "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, yes?" You huffed, covering your face with your hands. 

 

 "Whatever you say, my Lord. If you could let me go now, it would be much appreciated." You attempted to push away from the brunette Noble. 

 

 "Oh, don't be like-" Aedan was cut off by female voice.

 

 "Come now brother, let the poor thing go. She's obviously not interested, not that I blame her. Come on, doll. Let's get you away from this giant moron." You scurried to the blue-eyed lady, who looked like a feminine version of Aeden, the difference being the eyes and curves. You were immediately embraced and cooed over. 

 

 "Elissa, don't you have a Knight to be tormenting?" Aeden scowled, crossing his arms as he glared at his older sister.

 

 "Ser Gilmore is currently distracting the Captain if the Guard, unfortunately," Elissa responded with a grin, running fingers through your hair while she flashed a triumphant look at her brother over your head.

 

 You much preferred the older twin you decided. Much nicer, gentler, and not to mention softer. You found it increasingly difficult not to snuggle into Elissa's chest. 

 

 "Father wanted me to look for you, and mother wanted us to retrieve Barkspawn. Apparently, Nan's throwing a fit again." 

 

 "Ah, then let's go collect him, with this darling little doll here.. yes?" Elissa cooed over you once more, as she waited for a response.

 

 You didn't even mind that you were basically called fragile. You could only nod, no way we're you denying this woman. Or rather, Lady.

 

 Also, who names their dog barkspawn?

 

 You heard Aedan grumble, and Elissa cooed, briefly spinning you in her arms. 

 

 Within moments the three of you were heading down a hall, you snuggling against Elissa's shoulder while hugging her arm, Aedan sulked behind.

 

 You quickly realized the three of you were approaching the kitchen, and some rather loud screeching from someone you guessed was Nan. You looked up at Elissa.

 

 “Why is she screeching like that?” You asked, blinking up into blue eyes. Elissa laughed.

 

 “Nan always sounds like that I’m afraid, I think it’s because she’s had to deal with this idiot for so many years, honestly.” Elissa gestured to Aedan, who snorted in response. 

 

 You supposed that was as good an explanation as any.

 

 Coming upon the kitchens, the three of you were quickly rushed into the larder, where a hulking beast stood before you. You squeaked as the large creature turned to you.

 

 “Hey Barkspawn, driving Nan up the wall again, yes?” Aedan moved past you to pat the beast, scratching it’s head. Elissa cooed from your side.

 

 “Good boy! Who’s a good boy? You are!” Elissa praised, grinning as the hound’s entire body shook with his tail.  

 

 Psychotic twins who keep monsters as pets are the type of people to name their dog Barkspawn, apparently. You let out an unintelligible noise and ducked behind Elissa when Barkspawn practically ran into the Lady Cousland.

 

 “Aw, little doll, it’s alright! Barkspawn won’t hurt you, would you boy?” Barkspawn woofed. It sounded like a beast, you let out another squeak against your better judgement.

 

 “It’s as big as I am!” You defended, trying to shrink behind Elissa, which wasn’t very difficult, seeing as she was a foot taller than you. 

 

 “Barkspawn wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Elissa defended, attempting to soothe you. 

 

 Right at that moment however, a large rat came out of a hole in the wall, and Barkspawn mauled it to death in seconds. You shrieked, looking to Elissa with an angry expression.

 

 “I think that rat’s bigger than a fly, El-  my Lady!” You pointed at the offending creature, Aedan praised Barkspawn, who looked to be preening as the two males made quick work of the giant rats.

 

 “Just Elissa is fine, little doll,” Elissa smoothly corrected you as she opened the door to the larder and told Nan what had happened.

 

 “Yeah, she may be a Teyrn’s daughter, but she is the farthest thing from a- ah!” Aedan ducked to the side as a dagger whizzed by his head.

 

 “I do believe Father wanted us to inform Fergus of something, yes?” Elissa's tone was the complete opposite of her expression as she glowered at her brother.

 

 "Elissa.. Would you happen to know where a blonde elf went? She's my height and wearing circle robes." You inquired, trying to escape the two's silent feud. 

 

 Surprisingly it was Aedan who answered. 

 

 "She was heading to the library, I overheard her asking a guard about it, before I ran into you." You snorted, of course Solana went to the library. You shook your head, you should've just assumed that. 

 

 "Where is the library?" You asked, looking around the halls as if some magical arrow would point you where you want to go. 

 

 "We'll show you little doll, Fergus can wait another few minutes, yes?" Elissa turned to Aedan, who nodded, a quirk to his lips as Elissa began leading the three of you to the library. 

 

 You quickly realized that Aedan was actually smirking at Abell who flashed you a triumphant grin. 

 

 You struggled to keep your gagging mental, not wanting to barf all over Lady Cousland's pretty shoes. 

 

 Amell shot a wink at the youngest Cousland. 

 

 They were  really pretty shoes. 

 

 Aedan left the two of you in favor of talking to Amell. 

 

 Green bows, you thought. 

 

 You heard a giggle. 

 

 Little heels, probably really comfortable to run in. 

 

 A moan. You were suddenly very scared to turn around. Elissa just continued along, curse your elven ears. 

 

 Are those bows silk? 

 

 "Ah, here we are little doll! The illustrious Cousland library." 

 

 Leather s- oh, thank whatever God is listening.  You let out a long sigh of relief.  Elissa laughed. 

 

"I have several recommendations if you're interested? You can read them after you find your fellow Warden recruit, yes?" You nodded your assent and Elissa proceeded to place at least a dozen books of various sizes in your arms.

 

 More than eight were smut, you quickly realised. You raised an eyebrow, but Elissa only winked in response. 

 

 You discovered Surana in the study,  sitting at the large desk that occupied the middle, opposite a blonde noble that perused the shelves. 

 

 Elissa spoke with the noble for several minutes before saying farewell. 

 "See you later, little doll. Don't break while I'm away, yes?"  You nodded and just stared after the brunette for several moments before turning to Surana. 

 

 "Already so friendly with the Cousland twins? I gotta say, you work fast, star, " Surana noted with a grin, you scowled at her, shoving her into an armrest as you squeezed into the desk chair beside her. 

 

 "Your ass is bony, Dandelion," You got shoved out of the chair in retaliation. 

 

 "Sod off,  little doll ." You threw the closest thing you could reach at Surana, which happened to be a rather large tome on the Black Age. 

 

 Surana threw her hands up and managed to catch the book before it hit her. 

 

 "Why do you always throw books?" Surana began leafing through the pages, you briefly noticed the blonde noble sneaking out of the room. 

 

 "I grab the closest thing, not my fault that usually happens to be a book," You defended, moving to sit against the desk, grabbing the first book from the pile Elissa had given you. 

 

 "Or maybe you just really want to break someone's face," Surana quipped. 

 

 "There is that." You looked over the book, running a finger down the well worn spine. 'Elvish Secrets', you hummed.  Of course Elissa's favorite book would be smut, about elves. It was well written, if terribly racist. 

 

 It was about an Orlesian Lord falling in love with an Elven bard, but the bard's lover was determined to keep the two apart. As you read it, you became increasingly aware of a presence over your shoulder, and increasingly aware of the fact the story was most definitely not written by anyone who had even  been to Orlais. 

 

 You turned the page and when you heard a quiet squeal you turned to glower at the offender. 

 

 " The deep timbre of his voice had the bard quickly falling to her knees before him. Her hands were bound within moments, pressed against the headboard. "Tell me your secrets, little rabbit." - " You cut Surana off with a hand to her mouth, heat rushing to your ears. 

 

"Don't read it out  loud !" You whisper-shouted, eyes wide. You could feel Surana grinning, soft laughter muffled by your hand. 

 

 "Oh come on,  falon."  Surana peeled your hand from her mouth, giving you a playful push. "It's not hurting anyone! Besides, you're the one who began reading the book in the first place. So technically, it's your fault." 

 

 "How is it my fault?"  You thumbed your page and held the book closed. 

 

 "You know I get  easily excited ." Surana winked, you scowled. You threw the book at her, eliciting a laugh from the blonde elf.  

 

 You quickly took the book back as Surana began to read aloud again. 

 

 "Go to bed!" You gestured to the door. 

 

 "Only if you come with me,  da'assan.  " Surana purred in your ear, you pushed her off and she left the study laughing. 

 

 You turned back to the book with a groan, deciding to save the rest of it for some other time. You tucked it under your arm and made your way out of the study, quickly realising that you had no idea where you'd be sleeping. 

 

 You grumbled, setting out to find Surana. She couldn't have gotten far.. 

 

 **

 

 You woke to a scream, the form next to you waking as well. You spared the blonde a glance, then you pushed her naked body off the bed. 

 

 "Get dressed. And stop sleeping nude when you slip into my bed!" You spoke quickly, grabbing your pack and your stave. After a moment's decision, you shoved Elissa's book into your pack for safe keeping. 

 

 You grabbed Suriname stave as the blonde tripped over herself trying to pull a pair of your breeches on. You briefly wondered how she had acquired them, before shaking the thought and tossing her stave to her. 

 

 Surana grabbed her pack and fixed her hair in a messy bun, following after you as you threw the door open. You were immediately met with the sound of screaming and the heat and smell of fire and smoke. You briefly heard a mabari barking as well.

 

 Your mind rushed, quickly running towards where you would be needed most. A kid or baby would need the most protection, so you did a mental checklist. You only remembered seeing one child, which happened to be the son of the eldest Cousland sibling. 

 

 "Orin, the kid needs the most protection, we should check him first, " Surana piped up, a grimace on her lips. You nodded in agreement, following after the blonde as she took the lead. 

 

 "My exact thoughts, Dandelion." 

 

 The two of you made your way the Cousland’s quarters, it appeared that the fighting hadn't reached them yet,  and judging from the safely locked doors, everyone was still alright, you both breathed sighs of relief. 

 

 You left to warn the family's guests, and Surana went to warn the family. 

 

 The first door you got open was to the elvish lady-in-waiting of the Terynir’s noble Lady. Based on this, you assumed the next room was the Lady's son. 

 

 "Wake up, the Castle's under attack. You must get to safety." You wasted no time throwing some clothes into the woman's lap, leaving her to grab as much as she could as quick as she could. 

 

 You did the same with the rest of the guests, having to splash water on the son to wake him. 

 

 After you ensured they had all their necessities, you led them to the woken Teryna just as several soldiers burst into the quarters. 

 

 You immediately cast a barrier over yourself and those around you, protecting them as an arrow whizzed past. You heard a curse from the soldiers and froze one of them, Surana cast a stone fist, shattering him. You saw Barkspawn barrel into one of them, knocking them over, before proceeding to rip their arm off with his teach. You resisted the urge to whistle.

 

 You both shared a look and switched to support as the Cousland’s jumped into the fight, the Lady's son joining alongside them with a borrowed longsword. 

 

 You continued to cast small spells to assist the Warriors and rogues, as offensive spells were your forte, but refrained from directly drawing the ire of the soldiers. 

 

 "This Crest.. These are Howe's men! But why would.." Eleanor, the Teryna, looked shocked and confused. 

 

 "He betrayed father, attacked while our soldiers were away." Elissa all but snarled, kicking one of the corpses. Barkspawn made his way to her side, growling and snarling himself.

 

 You barely spared a glance as Amell snuck from Aedan's room. 

 

 "Howe will pay for this!" Eleanor now looked determined and angry, and you quickly decided you never wanted to get on the woman's bad side. 

 

 "What is happening?" An Antivan accent drew you to a nearby door, you recognized Orin cowering behind the woman whose voice had drawn your attention. 

 

 "Oriana! Howe's men have taken over the castle. You and Orin need to get to safety." Eleanor urged, bringing the two into a brief hug. "Has anyone seen Bryce? He didn't come to bed." Eleanor looked between us everyone, and grew anxious and worried at all the shaking heads. 

 

 "Teyrna, Duncan was not in his rooms either, perhaps they are together?" You offered, attempting to soothe Eleanor. 

 

 You breathed a sigh of relief as Eleanor shed some tension, nodding towards you in thanks. 

 

 You all left the family quarter's, running into several guards upon doing so. You rushed to shield a servant as he ran up to your group, saving him from a certain death, however you failed to notice the Lady's son running past to engage in combat. 

 

 It was clear he had never been in real combat before as he was impaled with a sword and an arrow embedded itself into his head. You grimaced as Eleanor tried to keep her friend from running past her, only for her friend to face a similar fate. 

 

 Eleanor wailed and you noticed Surana comforting the Lady's lady-in-waiting. You berated yourself for not paying better attention. 

 

 "If I hadn't invited her.. If she hadn't been here..!" the Teyrna's cry struck you hard. Elissa and Aedan both knelt next to their sobbing mother, attempting to soothe her. 

 

 You all moved on after several minutes, you stayed near Oriana, Orin and the Lady-in-waiting, eyes whipping about. You were determined not to have a repeat of events. 

 

 Guards rushed over to your group, crying out in relief as they found the Cousland family alive and well, but unable to tell us about the fate of the Teyrn. Amell joined the group in her usual robes, gripping her stave with white fingers, her pack over her shoulder. 

 

 You noticed Amell shaking, quickly realising that she had never truly seen anything like this, you showed her a rare kindness. Taking her pack, you spared her a glance. Amell didn't even scowl, looking green as you passed a few corpses. 

 

 You walked by Surana, both of you having come to a silent agreement that the unarmed needed the most protection. 

 

 "Little doll, little tulip, are the two of you alright?" Elissa approached the two of you, her smile strained. Little Tulip was of course, Surana's nickname. You would have laughed under normal circumstances, but the current ones were far from normal. 

 

 With a shared look, both you and Surana found yourselves snuggling into Elissa's sides. 

 

 "Sister dearest, it seems you have drawn all the elves in our company,” Aedan commented, joining the three of you with Barkspawn at his side. Eleanor let out a strained laugh, you were glad to brighten everyone’s spirits as little as you could.

 

 “What is they are so drawn to, I wonder?” Eleanor joined your little group, everyone seeming to relax a little while keeping up their guards.

 

 With a shared look, both you and Surana made exaggeratingly smelled Elissa.

 

 “She smells like vanilla..” You said softly, a little grin on your face.

 

 “And honey..” Surana mirrored your expression, Elissa laughed, Barkspawn woofed.

 

 “Well, I suppose elves are like flies then?” Aedan rose an eyebrow. All three elves in current company sent glares at the youngest Cousland, but didn’t say anything in response. 

 

 “If they’re precious, darling flies that do nothing but bless us with their presence.” Elissa cooed. You laughed, a woman after your own heart. Surana appeared to have similar thoughts, snuggling into Elissa’s side once more before both of you released her. 

 

 Elissa and Aedan returned to the lead, the group giving you and Surana grateful looks.

 

 “Doesn’t Anders smell like vanilla?” Surana smirked at you, walking beside you.

 

 “Doesn’t Jowan smell like honey?” You perked an eyebrow at the younger elf and the two of you shared a laugh.

 

 “Now, how would you know that?” The both of you asked at the same time. You made a lewd expression and Surana mirrored your expression. You both laughed, but you gave the elf a glare.

 

 “You’ll have to explain to me how you know that though.” You spoke quickly, before returning to the task at hand.

 

 “Of course.” Surana’s smile dropped and the group turned serious once more.

 

 You all made your way through several groups of soldiers and found yourselves at the Cousland Family Treasury, or vault. Eleanor, Elissa, and Aedan went in while the rest of you kept watch, Oriana and Orin staying near the door with the lady-in-waiting, whose name you had learned was Iona. 

 

 The Couslands came out with Aedan sporting a new shield, and Elissa a new sword. Both looked solemn, Eleanor followed after the two, a sad smile on her face.

 

 You all moved on, finding yourselves in the throne room. A red-head immediately rushed up to Elissa, and you resisted the urge to automatically hate him. You shook your head, the red-heads in your life apparently colored your view of all of them quite dramatically.

 

 The red-head immediately pulled Elissa into an embrace, Eleanor looked fondly at the two. You turned to Aedan, in silent question.

 

 “That’s Ser Gilmore, the Knight that Ser Duncan wished to recruit.” Aedan answered, you urged him to continue. He did not, and you grumbled. At least he answered half of your question, you thought. 

 

 The moment was cut short as soldiers burst into the room and everyone took places around the room, the close-ranged fighters immediately engaged the enemy, while you and Surana began casting support magic. Oriana, Iona, and Orin immediately moved behind you and Surana. Your group moved quickly and easily, able to communicate through your movements, Surana would heal when one of the close-combat members would pull back, and you would cover them with your magic when another warrior or rogue was unable. 

 

 Amell however, seemed to cower away from the fighting, staying with Oriana, Iona, and Orin. You frowned when you noticed, but focused on the fighting. 

 

 At the end, all of the enemy soldiers laid dead, and brief mourning over two of the Castle guards. You combed over the corpses with Aedan at your side, you retrieved health poultices and lyrium potions while Aedan collected gold and salvaged weapons. It took several minutes, and once you were done, all the guards were pressing against the door as Howe’s men attempted to breach it. 

 

You turned away as Elissa spoke with Ser Gilmore, a desperate look on her face as though she were pleading with him. The two shared a brief hug before Elissa tugged him down to her height by his pauldrons and pressed her lips against his. Several of your companions shared looks, aside from Amell who continued to cower behind everyone and avoid your gazes. 

 

 Eleanor was quick to find herself at her daughter's side as you all left the throne room, whispering quiet words of comfort, Aedan quickly joining them. Barkspawn sat his head on the Teyrn’s side, whimpering.

 

 You were tempted to try and comfort Elissa as well, but you felt as if you didn’t know them enough and did not want to overstep your boundaries. Instead, you found yourself at Surana’s side once more. 

 

 You didn’t have time to speak as you arrived at the kitchen’s entering the room, you turned to see the Couslands immediately bursting through the door to the larder.

 

 “There.. you all are..” You gasped as the Couslands rushed to the Teyrn’s side, the latter laying in a pool of blood. You called out to Surana who rushed to his side as well. “I was.. wondering.. when you would.. get here..” Bryce groaned, clutching his side.

 

 “Bryce!” Eleanor cried out, falling to her knees beside her husband. “Maker’s blood! What’s happening, you’re bleeding!” Oriana, Orin, Elissa, and Aedan joined the Teyrn and Teyrna.

 

 “Howe’s men, they found me first.. almost.. did me in.. right there.” Bryce groaned, Eleanor grasped his hand.

 

 “Papa, we need to get you out of here.” Elissa placed her hand on her mother’s arm, looking at her father with a pained expression.

 

 “I won’t survive the standing.. I think..” Bryce cringed and Surana nudged Aedan to the side so she could run her healing magic over the Teyrn. Oriana had Orin pulled into her lap, petting his hair.

 

 “That’s not true, father. You’ll be fine!” Aedan reassured, although you couldn’t tell who it was he was reassuring.

 

 “Oh, pup.. my boy.. if only will could make it so..” Surana frowned, and you mirrored her expression, biting your lip.

 

 “Once Howe’s men break through the gate, they will find us. We must go!” Eleanor cried, squeezing her husband’s hand, sounding desperate.

 

 “Someone must.. reach Fergus.. tell him what happened..” 

 

 “You can tell him yourself, father!” Aedan shook, grabbing Elissa’s outstretched hand.

 

 “I.. wish I could..” 

 

 “Bryce, no. We can flee together! We have mages! They can help-” Surana cut Eleanor off with sad look.

 

 “Teyrna, I’m so sorry. If I had access to more lyrium.. or a more adept healer, I could help but.. he’s lost too much blood already, and whatever blade did this to him seemed to have been covered in poison.. without an antidote, even if I could heal him.. he would still die,” Surana slowly explained, offering the Couslands a smile that became a grimace. “I am so,  so sorry.” 

 

 “Then.. then we’ll find more mages, more magic-” Eleanor was cut off once more.

 

 “The Castle is.. surrounded.. I cannot make it..” The Teyrn shuddered and practically collapsed into the Teyrna’s lap.

 

 The sound of boots alerted you, and you turned to see Duncan approaching, sheathing his sword as he did.

 

 “I’m afraid the Teyrn is correct. Howe’s men have not yet discovered this exit, but they’ve surrounded the castle. Getting past will be difficult,” Duncan informed, drawing everyone’s attention.

 

 “You are.. Duncan then, the Grey Warden.” Eleanor spoke, looking up at Duncan as he knelt beside them.

 

 “Yes your ladyship. The Teyrn and I tried to reach you sooner.” Duncan turned to the Teyrna.

 

 “My children and your recruits helped us get here, Maker be praised.” Duncan turned to look at all of us, glancing over you and Surana, pausing on Amell for a moment.

 

 “I am not surprised.” Duncan finally turned to Elissa and Aedan, appraising the twins.

 

 “Will you help us, Ser Duncan?” Elissa asked, looking at the Warden Commander with hopeful eyes. The distant sound of metal and shouting cut off Duncan’s immediate reply.

 

 “Whatever is to be done, it must be done quickly. They are coming!” Eleanor rushed.

 

 “Duncan, you are under no obligation to me, but I beg you.. take my family to safety!” The Teyrn begged, a grimace on his lips.

 

 “I will, your Lordship. But.. I fear I must ask for something in return,” Duncan responded, and you got caught on his words. A million things flashed through your mind, what could Duncan ask for? You wondered.

 

 “Anything!” Bryce responded immediately. 

 

 “What is happening here pales in comparison to the evil now loose in this world.” You sucked in a breath, the darkspawn threat. You looked to Duncan with wide eyes, the twins..? “I came to your castle seeking a recruit, the darkspawn threat demands that I leave with one.” Duncan eyed the twins. Or maybe two.. 

 

 “I.. I understand.” Bryce looked between Duncan and his children for a brief second.

 

 “W-what about Ser Gilmore?” Elissa’s voice broke, turning to Duncan with a confused expression. 

 

 “Truthfully, the two of you were always my first choice.” Duncan answered easily. He turned to Bryce. “I will take your family to Ostagar to tell Fergus and the King what has happened. Then, the your son and daughter will join the Grey Wardens.”

 

 “So long as.. justice comes to Howe.. I agree..” The Teyrn looked away, staring- downcast at the floor. You reeled. Did he truly just sell his children’s lives away to the Grey Wardens? Without even asking them? Duncan turned to the Elissa and Aedan.

 

 “Then I offer the two of you a place within the Grey Wardens. Fight with us.” At least Duncan gives them the semblance of a choice, you thought.

 

 The twins shared a look before turning back to Duncan, determined looks on their faces.

 

 “We agree.” With a nod, Duncan stood.

 

 “We must leave quickly then, this is a large group and it may prove to be more difficult the leave the longer we take.” Meanwhile, Eleanor turned to her husband.

 

 “Bryce, are.. are you sure?” The Teyrna asked, her voice wavering.

 

 “Our children will not die of Howe’s treachery. They will live, and make their mark on the world,” Bryce said- no, stated, looking at his twins with pride.

 

 “Darlings, go with Duncan. You have a better chance of escape without me.” Eleanor cradled Bryce’s head, looking up at her children with steeled eyes. You heard Barkspawn whimper as Elissa and Aedan frowned. More like without any of them, you thought. Then proceeded to inwardly hit yourself for the thought. No time for selfish thinking.

 

 “Eleanor!” Bryce argued.

 

 “Hush, Bryce. I will kill every bastard that comes through that door to buy them time, but I won’t abandon you.” 

 

 “Mother, I won’t let you sacrifice yourself!” Aedan looked torn, anguish clouding his eyes.

 

 “My place is with your father. At his side, to death and beyond.” You saw tears gathering in Elissa’s eyes as she all but latched onto her brother. 

 

 “Go pups.. warn your brother. And know that we.. love you all. You do us proud.” Bryce grit his teeth, voice breaking as Eleanor comforted her husband. A loud bang resounded through the castle and Duncan pulled Aedan and Elissa up.

 

 “We must go now, they’ve broken through the gates.” Duncan looked distraught for a moment, before his calm mask was set into place one more.

 

 “Goodbye, my darlings,” Eleanor smiled sadly as we all left. 

 

 “I love you!” Elissa cried, clinging to her brother. Barkspawn whimpered, pressing himself against Elissa.

 

 You frowned, shaking your head. At least it was over now.. for you at least.

 

 **

 

 “Where to next, Duncan?” You asked as you all settled down to make camp, Cousland Castle far in the distance, the smoke seemed to be lessening now.

 

 “The forest.” Duncan responded cryptically. You tilted your head, blinking.

 

 “Why the forest? Something wrong?” 

 

 “Just.. a feeling. I believe the Dalish are nearby, and something.. is wrong.” Duncan answered slowly, looking unsure himself. You nodded, and stopped prodding.

 

 Heading to your tent, you caught Elissa’s wandering eyes. You blinked and shook her head, turning into your tent. 

 

 Next stop, Dalish?   



	3. Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending some time in the forest, you find some new potential Wardens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Finals are fast approaching and it's been very difficult to write. Also, if any of you are interesting in a Solas/Reader, please keep an eye out for one in my works! It should be up soon!

 You weren't fond of the forest, you decided, watching Surana laugh and jump along the branches, having tossed her robes in favor of a pair of your breeches and one of your tunics. 

 

 Elissa wasn't as unhappy as before, you noted. After the first night on the road, and being.. comforted, the elder Cousland was more calm. She still remained at her brother's side, her mabari always at her hip, but she seemed to be coping well- or as well as one could after almost everything they ever knew was taken away from them. 

 

 You, Elissa, and Surana seemed to bond quickly, and when her brother was occupied with other things, Elissa would frequently find her way to your side, dragging Surana along with her. It was a comfort, you supposed. You all had similar stories, although yours had happened several years ago, and had been heavily edited.   
  
 You shook your head, pulling a leaf out of your hair. You glowered and set the leaf on fire.

 

 “I hate the forest,” you informed, looking up from your palm to find Duncan looking at you with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression.

 

 “Is that so?” Duncan chuckled and returned to walking ahead.

 

 “Will we be making camp soon? I would like to see if I can find any herbs to make health poultices,” Surana spoke from above, causing Amell to jump. You laughed and the red-headed mage turned to glare at you, her demeanor from Cousland Castle forgotten. You waved at Surana as she jumped down from the branch she was perched on.

 

 “At least your time in the circle didn’t take away any of your dalish nature.” You chimed, poking Surana’s cheek as she joined your side. She laughed, and shook her head.

 

 “You’re an idiot.” 

 

 “We will be making camp here, we should be upon the dalish tomorrow.” Duncan announced as everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. You dropped your pack and rolled your shoulders. 

 

 “I’m going to sleep. I’ll take final watch, if that’s alright,” You announced, turning to Duncan for confirmation, he nodded and you smiled, unhooking your bedroll from your pack and setting it in a dry spot.  You pulled off the coat you wore and placed it on your pack. Settling into your bedroll, you snuggled into a blanket offered by Surana.

 

 Sleep came quickly, and you soon found yourself in the fade.

 

You looked around, puzzled. You were used to the fade reflecting your surroundings, but this was definitely not the clearing you had settled into for the night.

 

 You ran your fingers along the dark stone that surrounded you, rubbing the water that gathered on your fingertips. You waded through the water that surrounded you, the dark liquid reached your hips, and you grimaced at the slimy feeling as you moved your legs. You cast a spell, summoning a small orb of light to illuminate your dark surroundings. Several skeletons floating face-down in the water were immediately brought to your attention. You gently pushed them away and continued through the water, before heading up some stone steps leading out of the water to a small platform. 

 

 Upon the platform was mirror. You narrowed your eyes, stepping closer to the ominous looking object, feeling the sickly aura that projected from it. Upon approaching, the reflection shimmered, you recoiled your hand, blinking at the mirror. You could see two elves through the mirror, passed out upon the ground. You noticed two tall monsterish creatures approach one of them, grabbing his arms and dragging him away. You shouted, banging your fists on the mirror. Suddenly gasping, you were engulfed in a sickly light and you felt a sensation like drowning for a moment. Coughing as it passed and you could feel solid ground beneath you, you peered up.

 

 The creatures before your screamed, the very sound causing you to recoil and making you sick. You felt awful energy, much like the energy you had felt from the mirror, rising from them. The creatures dropped the elf and you threw out your hands, enacting barriers around the two unconscious bodies. One of the creatures brandish a rusty, twisted sword at you while the other pulled out a greatsword. 

 

 Lightning flew over your fingertips as you found yourself without your stave. Throwing a hand forward, you sent a bolt at the one with the sword and ducked under the swing of the greatsword. You jumped back, throwing yourself behind the mirror as you charged a spell between your hands, throwing them out to cast a cone of cold, freezing the two briefly. 

 

 You cried out as the greatsword caught your sleeve, the rusted metal cutting through your arm. You clutched your arm, forcing some mana into the wound to speed up the healing process. You couldn’t fully heal it as you had to throw yourself out of the way once more. 

 

 You ducked behind the mirror once more,trying to ignore the sickly aura and hypnotizing song that that prodded at the back of your mind. Shaking your head and amassing your mana in your palms, you prepared a thunderstorm to finish the two creatures. 

 

 A sword barely nicked your arm and you unleashed the spell, clouds gathering and the temple like area you found yourself in rumbled and shook.  You cried out as you sent all your remaining mana into making lasting barriers for the two elves and a bright light blinded you once more. 

 

 You rushed to push hands off you as the light dissipated and you cried out, your eyelids flying open as a soft voice whispered calming words. 

 

 "Neria.." You gasped as Susana hovered over you, immediately responding to her first name. 

 

 "It's alright, it was just a dream," Surana soothed, running calming magic over you. You shook your head, hissing as the cut in your arm stung. Surana recoiled at the sound before finally noticing your bleeding arm, rushing to tend to it. "Where did you get this?" 

 

 "Not.. A dream.." You took a deep breath, scrambling to your feet, almost falling back to the ground. You shook away your dizziness, leaning against a tree to ground yourself. You noticed everyone sending you looks at what you said. 

 

 "What do you mean.. 'Not a dream'?"  Elissa asked, tentatively placing her hand on your arm. 

 

 "Something.. Is wrong, I have to.. Help the elves, in the temple.. The ruins.." You gasped and collapsed, feeling your mana drain hard. The barriers must still be up, you thought. Nodding to yourself. You used the tree to pull yourself back up, swatting away hands that worried over you. 

 

 "What ruins?" You looked up to see Duncan offering you a hand, you swallowed and gratefully took it, before you began pulling him towards the aura of the mirror, the suffocating feeling still with you. You resisted the urge to gag as the dark aura brushed against your own. 

 

 You heard several voices calling after you, but Duncan told them to stay, you briefly heard him ask Surana to find the Dalish, but everything was a blur. Your eyes blindly looked over trees and paths, your feet guiding you towards the mirror, Duncan's arm all that kept you upright. 

 

 It didn't take long for you to find the supposed entrance, finding the two elves beside each other, still covered in your barriers. 

 

 You collapsed by the elves and dispelled the barriers, breathing a sigh of relief as the released mana returned to you.  You ran your hands over the two, checking for any injuries, though your magic was mostly limited to outside injury. You dropped your hands, finding nothing but a few small cuts, shaking your head at the aura that seemed stuck to the two. 

 

 You turned to see Duncan checking over the two as well, before turning to you. 

 

 "Well done," Duncan praised, you smiled briefly, bobbing your head in thanks. You felt giddy, like you were just rewarded for doing something well by your father, which wasn't too far off the mark you supposed. Except for the fact Duncan was not your father. 

 

 Duncan moved to pick up the blonde male elf, and you used a spell to help you lift the smaller black haired female. Luckily, she wasn't very heavy, which allowed you to lift her rather easily. 

 

 As you both walked, Susana jumped down from a tree and began leading the way to the Dalish camp, helping you carry the female. You were very glad that the two were alright. Though you wondered how you did so when you were supposedly sleeping. 

 

 You made a mental note to ask the Dalish if you could, as they were rumored to know more but magic than  a circle mage or templar. You would also have to see about researching some book, and getting ahold of some of the tomes from your hidden study for that matter. 

 

 "Andaran atish’an. Welcome, Duncan of the Grey Wardens, lethallan." The Keeper nodded in greeting in turn to Duncan and you as you approached with her hunters. 

 

 You largely ignored the conversation between Duncan and the Keeper after offering a brief greeting in response, focusing on fussing over the two elves. The fact that the aura of the mirror had not left them alarmed you, as you could no longer feel it from the cursed object itself. You let your aura engulf the two, careful not to let it overpower their own, your body screamed in protest at the overuse of your mana. 

 

 You forced your way past the small pain, carefully prodding the two elves' auras, shutting your eyes for the process. You frowned, only to gasp and pull back as the feeling from the mirror almost engulfed you, images of hundreds of the creatures from before flashing in your mind's eye with shrill screams and a feeling of dread. 

 

 " Wrong .." You barely formed a word before your vision went dark and you fell unconscious. 

 

 **

 

 You found yourself in the fade again, a first. You had never visited the fade more than once a night before. You wondered why that was, thinking about seeking out a spirit of Knowledge before deciding against it. 

 

 Instead, you thought of your hidden study, remembering the smell of the old books, the soft feel of the carpet beneath your bare feet, your warm hearth where you would sit in your pile of blankets and pillows for hours after curfew. 

 

 You opened your eyes and smiled at the familiar room, you hummed quietly to yourself and perused the shelves, just feeling comfortable in your little corner of the fade, knowing your mana is regenerating with every moment spent wandering.

 

 It’s calming, you think. Being somewhere familiar and being alone, it gives you time to think and calm down from your recent excursions. Between the odd mirror, the strange experience, and exhausting your mana, it was all a lot to handle at once.

 

 You allow yourself a reprieve from your reality. 

 

 Unfortunately, you find it doesn’t last. The fade around you wavers and your hidden study disappears in moments, and you find yourself in another familiar area. Your corner in the Circle’s library. 

 You perked an eyebrow, wandering the small area for several moments before finding Surana beside ‘your’ desk, peering at a book with a warm smile on her face. You smiled fondly at the blonde, sliding down the side of the desk to sit beside her.

 

 “What are you reading?” You asked, seeing nothing but ever-changing letters on the pages.

 

 “It’s a romance serial, Edlyn showed it to me,” Surana easily responded, looking up to you for a moment before turning back to the story. You hummed, noting the fact Surana was unaware she was dreaming.

 

 “Read it to me?” You requested, resting your head on the blonde’s shoulder. Surana giggled and began reading aloud, a grin on her lips and light in her eyes.

 

 You supposed you all needed a bit of a break, one the road was not kind enough to give.

 

 **

 

 You blinked awake, a blurry figure nearby moving into your view. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you recognized the figure as Surana.

 

 “Hey! How are you feeling?” Surana fussed over you, handing you a tankard of water. You grumbled and drank, shaking.

 

 “Fine, just.. sore. Probably from using so much magic..” You yawned, handing the tankard back to Surana, who placed it down beside her. 

 

 “Probably, your mana was all but depleted, what were you thinking?” Surana gently scolded, frowning.

 

 “I didn’t realize, my apologies. What happened with the hunters?” You quickly changed the topic.

 

 “They’re.. fine,” Surana hesitated, you noticed. Standing, you brushed back your hair, making yourself presentable before leaving the.. aravel? You shrugged and made your way to the Keeper, ignoring Surana who rushed to follow you. “Keeper Marethari, I’m sorry, I know you wanted her to rest but-” The Keeper raised a hand, a warm smile on her face.

 

 “It is no problem, da’len. I am surprised you are already so.. well, however. It is not everyday a mage depletes their magic and is fine the next day.” The Keeper eyes you.

 

 “That does seem to be an often occurrence around me, doing things and surprising people,” You quipped, cracking your neck. “Now, the two hunters we found, there’s something wrong with them, yes? Something very, very wrong.” It wasn’t a question.

 

 “I.. how do you know that?” The Keeper looked taken aback, blinking at you for a moment before regaining her composure. “I mean, yes. Though, I am curious as to how you came across this information, as I trust Neria did not tell you?” The Keeper eyed Surana and you sighed, waving her off.

 

 “No she did not, isn’t it obvious? Their auras are.. tainted. There’s something dark and.. wrong, in them, can’t you feel it?” You wondered quietly, narrowing your eyes and frowning. It wasn’t just you, was it? According to the expression on the Keeper’s face, it was. 

 

 “You can feel their auras? Even more, you can feel them that.. intimately?” The Keeper appeared intrigued. You nodded dumbly, turning to Surana.

 

 “Neria, you can feel it, can’t you?” 

 

 “I.. no, I can feel that they are unwell.. but I only assumed that they were sick.” Surana wrung her hands together, looking nervously between you and the Keeper. “I’ve never.. heard of anything like that.” You shook your head.

 

 “No, no. I.. I don’t understand?” You turned to the Keeper.

 

 “It would seem, da’len, that you are well-attuned to auras. In a way, I did not think possible for anyone in this age. I haven’t heard of anyone having such a gift in.. many years.” The Keeper all but grinned at you, you grimaced. Nothing was making any sense any more.

 

 “Ah, you are awake. This is good, I would like you to join me in investigating the area we found the hunters. You mentioned ruins before?” Duncan walked up, pulling you from the current conversation. You blinked briefly before nodding, joining Duncan’s side.

 

 “It should be there,” You mumbled, mostly to yourself, as you followed Duncan out of camp, Surana sharing a look with the Keeper behind you.

 

 **

 

 It wasn’t until late that you found the entrance to the ruins, after backtracking many times. You entered it first, shouting as more of the monster-like creatures from before came out from the shadows. Duncan stepped in front of you, and you cast a barrier.

 

 “Darkspawn,” Duncan informed you, you nodded with a gasp. So these are the things Grey Warden’s are sworn to protect against. They were far uglier than your books had described. Though you supposed they got the written smell right. You gagged and cast a chain lightning spell, Duncan quickly disposing of the creatures with your meager aid. It was no surprise he was a Warden Commander, honestly.

 

 You made your way through the ruins quickly, they weren’t very large after all, and you found the mirror.

 

 You glowered at the murky surface as Duncan approached it with a sigh. 

 

 “As I thought, it is blighted,” Duncan spoke, his voice echoing through the room.

 

 “Blighted?” You questioned, staying by the entrance to the room.

 

 “Yes, it is the work of the darkspawn, I’m afraid, and what ails the hunters. This mirror, I believe it is Tevinter in origin.” Duncan continued appraising the mirror for several moments.

 

 “Wrong,” You spoke before you could stop yourself, Duncan turning to you with a raised brow.

 

 “I’m sorry?” 

 

 “The mirror, it’s elvish. It’s called an Eluvian, I’ve read about them, my mentor told me a bit about them,” You informed, biting your tongue too late. Duncan watched you for a second. Oh no, you thought. You finally stepped over the line, you're going to be sent back to the circle and probably made tranquil or something worse and-

 

 “I see, you will have to tell me more about them in the future.” Duncan turned back to the mirror without another word. You breathed a sigh of relief. 

 

 You split away from Duncan, exploring the ruins. You recovered some health poultices, and what looked to be the hunters’ weapons, lying near the mirror, you made a mental note to return them as you treked through the stone halls.

 

 You heard steps after a short while and made your way back to Duncan, finding him speaking to a group of four elves, two of them being the ones you had found.

 

 “Oh, it is good to see you are on your feet, although I do not recommend roaming about when you’re still ill.” You approached the elves, all of whom turned to you.

 

 “Ah.. that might be so.. you are?” The blonde male elf asked tentatively. Duncan quickly introduced you as a Grey Warden recruit before you had a chance to. You smiled at the group of elves.

 

 “Andaran Atish’an, I am Merrill, the Keeper’s first.” A dark haired elf introduced reservedly, giving you a respectful nod. 

 

 “And I am Fenarel, were you wandering these ruins by yourself?” Another blonde elf asked, you nodded easily.

 

“I am Tamlen, and this is Lyna.” The blonde elf you had found introduced himself and the dark haired one that you had found with him.

 

 “Back to the task at hand? You and Tamlen entered this cave, and found this mirror?” Duncan questioned, pulling the elves attention back to him. You scurried to his side. 

 

 “Yes, have you found anything?” Lyna eagerly asked, peering up at Duncan.

 

 “No, nor will I. The Wardens have seen mirrors like this before, we originally believed them Tevinter in origin, but my recruit here has informed me they were originally Elven. We know that they were used for communication, over time some of them simply.. break. They become filled with the same taint as the darkspawn. Tamlen’s touch must’ve released it. It’s what made the both of you sick,” Duncan explained. You silently gasped, whispering to Duncan.

 

 “Is that the..  wrong I feel coming from them?” Duncan nodded in response.

 

 “It is indeed, it is quite a useful skill. At times it is impossible to know if someone is tainted unless they start showing signs. It could be very helpful to the Wardens.” 

 

 “Can we fix the mirror?” Lyna asked, glancing at the Eluvian. Duncan immediately shook his head.

 

 “Unfortunately no, it will taint all those that come near it, now.” You saw Merrill looking at the mirror with an almost unreadable gaze. You felt it was disconcerting. 

 

 “I do not fear this sickness, the Keeper can cure it,” Merrill piped up, turning her gaze to Duncan for but a moment. 

 

 “She may have weakened it, but she cannot cure it,” Duncan immediately rebutted. “Your recovery is only temporary. I can sense the sickness in you, and it is spreading. Look inside yourself and you will see.” Duncan now looked the Lyna and Tamlen, who looked concerned. They shared a look.

 

 “Then, what shall we do?” Lyna questioned, you noticed her grasping Tamlen’s hand. 

 

 “First, we deal with the mirror. It is still a pestilence and a threat.” Duncan turned away and approached the mirror, unsheathing his sword. You bit your lip, wanting to stop him before he destroyed a priceless elvhen artifact. However, he was correct and if it was not dealt with.. the mirror would just cause more damage. As Duncan approached the mirror, you became aware of whispering. You struggled to ignore it, covering your eyes as Duncan broke the mirror and a bright light flashed, the whispering becoming yelling for a moment before it completely silenced. 

 “It is done.” Duncan sheathed his sword, leaving the shards of the mirror on the ground. “Now let’s leave this cursed place. I must speak with the Keeper immediately regarding your cure.” 

 

 “What about the mirror?” Merrill and Lyna asked, sparing each other a glance at the overlapping. 

 

 “There is nothing we can do.” You saw Merrill cast the same unreadable gaze at the mirror and Lyna just shook her head, seeming to be unhappy at losing a possible piece of the Elvhen culture.

 

 “Is the cave safe?” Tamlen butted into the conversation.

 

 “With the mirror destroyed, I doubt the Darkspawn will return.”

 

 “Can we return later and search through the cave? We could learn from many things here besides the mirror,”  Merrill piped up once more.

 

 “The cave is not safe-- everything here was exposed to the mirror’s taint. If your people must come here, they should cleanse it with fire,” Duncan admonished.

 

 “Ser Duncan, could you just tell us what the cure is?” Lyna interrupted. Duncan shook his head.

 

 “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I will tell you more, but first I must speak with your Keeper,” Duncan informed.

 

 “It is safe to go back to camp?” 

 

 “I sense no other darkspawn nearby, so it is safe for the time being. Lead on.” You all followed behind Lyna, Tamlen sticking close to the black-haired elf’s side.

 

 A few minutes later you reached the dalish camp, you all split ways. You went off to find Surana, Lyna and Tamlen stayed with Duncan, approaching the Keeper. Merrill joined them.

 

 You found Surana a bit aways from the camp, talking to a city elf. You cooed, drawing their attention.

 

 “What’s happening, Dandelion?” You bounded over to the green-eyed mage, grinning as you waved to the city elf.

 

 “I was talking with Pol here, he recently came to the camp to hide among the Dalish, but instead found a place as a hunter.. once he learns  how  to hunt of course.” Surana grinned, Pol scowled. You laughed.

 

 “Hello Pol, it’s nice to meet you,” you greeted, settling between the two.

 

 You all had a long conversation, mostly about Dalish culture, with Surana telling Pol about it, Pol talking about the supposed savageness of the Dalish, and you silently seething over how much different it was from your old tomes.

 

 It lasted for a short time before Duncan approached, calling you. You immediately jumped to your feet, offering condolences and farewells to Pol.

 

 “Yes, Duncan?” You approached as quickly as you could.

 

 “I would like you to go and check on the other recruits, I have not been able to speak with them since we came here three days ago. I have had Neria check on them several times, but if you could explain to them the situation and inform them we should be returning later..” You nodded eagerly in response to the request.

 

 “Of course, Duncan. Would you like me to stay with them until you and Dandelion join us?” You wondered.

 

 “Please.” Duncan turned away and you set off, giving your farewells to Merrill and Fenarel who you had talked with on the way back to the dalish camp. You were unable to find Tamlen and Lyna, and left the camp to return to the other recruits.

 

 **

 

 To say you were surprised when Duncan and Surana approached with the two elves you had saved in tow, would be an understatement. 

 

 Leaving the side of Elissa by the fire, you bounded up to Duncan, nodding to the dalish elves behind him. You tried to ignore the distraught expressions. 

 

 “They are.. joining us?” Elissa asked apprehensively, peering at the two newcomers.

 

 “These are the newest Warden recruits, Tamlen and Lyna. Please introduce yourselves,” Duncan spoke in response.

 

 “It is good you are gathering so many recruits, yes? Where to next, Duncan?” You wondered, standing next to Duncan as he sighed.

 

 “Denerim will be our last stop. I would have liked to stop by Orzammar, but I’m afraid that is impossible with the state of our newest additions.” 

 

 “Next stop, Denerim?” You hummed, standing beside Duncan as the sun set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop, Denerim!   
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review or leave a Kudos, it encourages me to update faster!   
> Side note: As I do not currently have the patience nor the time to do a play through with a dwarf, there will be no dwarven wardens. I apologize, but the group is getting large enough as it is, no?


End file.
